Class in the Celthestan States (CCW)
Celtheste has always had a peculiar approach to class. Though class divisions do exist, they have never been as rigid or restrictive as in older cultures. It is not unheard of for nobility to be granted or revoked, often based on merit alone. This is, perhaps, because the original Kingdom of Celtheste was founded by refugees, very few of whom were noble-born. And as it is in every financially sophisticated society, moneyed interests have gradually gained a measure of power, influence, and identity apart from commoners of humbler means. Wacuin & the Indrissey Main article: Wacuin & the Indrissey Summary: Traditional, feudal, rigid, with rare mobility. Based around order, duty, and chivalry. Classes: Landed Nobility, Burgher Class, Agrarian Peasantry, New Middle Class, New Urban Working Class Peerage: Knight, Lord or Count, Earl, Duke, King The joint Kingdoms of Wacuin and the Indrissey have a rather traditional class system, with nobility at the top, an urban middle class, and an agrarian peasantry at the bottom. The largely agricultural economy and limited trade in this landlocked state have kept the middle class small and the nobility cashless, serving their age-old duties as landowners and military vassals to the king. On the other side of the coin, the importance of agriculture here means that peasants are afforded significant respect; often more than the merchants and learned folk of the city. It is not uncommon to find a land-owning peasant of modest means with more wealth and standing than their noble or burgher neighbors. But while class distinctions may not reflect money (of which Wacuin on a whole has very little) or even prestige (which is earned, not inherited), they do reflect rigid economic and cultural roles. All this is in keeping with the founding ideals of Celtheste, to which Wacuin holds dear; more than any other Celthestan state. While each class is distinct, and mobility between them is limited, the classes are not thought of as hierarchical. Instead, there is a sense that each role is crucial to the functioning of the whole; a sense of duty, order, and honor that pervades every rank. In keeping, titles among nobility are viewed more as honorific addresses, rather than any indication of might or merit. Counts, Earls, and Dukes are all Lords in the sight of the King and commoners. And depending on the area, a Count may indeed hold more de facto power than a Duke. This is not at all to say that the Kingdoms are any measure of egalitarian or that nobles are chivalrous and peasants happy and healthy. Only that this is how the Wacunues and Indrish view themselves and judge each others’ behavior. In parts of the Indrissey, for instance, the nobility are famously excessive and tyrannical, but take great care to justify their actions on moral grounds. The peasants and burghers in turn, protest by disputing the character and intentions of their lords. So, unlike in many other nations, questions of class do not concern rights and privilege, but duty and responsibility. All this begins to change as cities begin to industrialize and a larger middle and working class emerge. Nowhere is this more evident than in Centory, a city of the future, apart from the social strictures of the rest of the realm. Those disillusioned with the stuffy, arbitrary limitations of the past flee here to make their own way. Great Caltania Main article: Great Caltania Summary: Patchwork free-for-all with many components and promise of high social mobility. Based around power, individualism, and competition. Classes: Royals, Lottless Landlords, Urban Industrialists, Patra Nobility, Crime Lords, Middle Class Burghers, Rural Poor, Urban Poor. Peerage: Knight, Lord, Countess, Queen Caltania is a large, complex nation, and class organization varies from region to region, but there are some overarching themes. The formerly wild, untamed marchlands of Celtheste revere individualism and competition. They despise formalities and unearned wealth and power. It follows that the high nobility of Great Caltania, save for the royal family, have always had a weak hold over their lands and subjects; their properties and privileges stripped away over the course of the last century. Caltanians instead have favored social mobility. They respect power that is earned or taken. So true power lies in the hands of the well-organized commoner landowning class and the urban industry magnates. These two groups are cut from the same cloth: outspoken, entrepreneurial folk, mostly Lottless and Avony. Though they often butt heads, these landed and moneyed interests have formed an alliance that has allowed them to dominate Caltania’s politics in the modern age. The main difference between them? Rural farm workers and small town folk tend to identify with and appreciate their Lottless Landlords while the urban poor are more likely to despise their employers. A noble class does persist in Caltania, though much diminished. Specifically, the local lords associated with some of the Strongholds that once dominated the south. These Patra Nobility, mostly found in Silvy-Bluecolumn, gained popularity with their subjects, usually by leveraging their influence to bring wealth and progress to their lands—sometimes through illicit means. For this reason, the Patra are strangely entangled with another important contingent of Caltanians: the gangs. Large regions of the nation are run by Crime Lords and their sprawling, warring organizations. So much so that the largest gangs have gained some political legitimacy and even have consulate offices in the capital. In theory, all the upper classes of Great Caltania are self-made; they work the land, they take financial risks, or they do right by their people. In practice, they are beneficiaries of generations of entrenched power, and an ever widening disparity in wealth. As elsewhere, the poor get poorer; the rich, ever richer. Castra Main article: Castra Summary: Hybrid of feudal titles and modern socialist egalitarianism with medium mobility. Based around alliance, idealism, and compromise. Classes: Exiled Nobility (Fuga Armata), Moneyed Interests, Intelligentsia, Middle Class, Working Class, Urban Poor, Landed Nobility, Agrarian Peasantry. Peerage: Various titles, mostly ceremonial at this point. No monarch. As former Caltanian and Wacuni territories, Castra and its lands are a unique blend of western and southern values, especially when it comes to social organization. A cadre of old noble families occupies a central place in Castrian high society; exiles from Caltania who lost their lands to reforms and brought all their wealth to the crown city. These nobles provided the initial waves of investment that revitalized Castra and won its independence. But they didn’t do it alone. Merchants, bankers, mages, industrialists, and the intelligentsia were equally instrumental in creating a free Castra, and these commoners brought with them an egalitarian philosophy that built a democratic socialist government. In Castra City, these rich and learned folk share power with the exiled nobles, while claiming or attempting to represent the middle and lower classes. The genuinely aspirational Workers’ Council, which rules the city, is made up mostly of mages and lawyers. Out in the territories, things tend to follow more traditional patterns. The central plains of Encaira follow the rigid feudal order of the West, while the Mighal Highlands take after the wild Caltanian south. Notes: Castra maintains this strange, hybridized social structure through a complicated legal process. The Workers’ Council is technically a provisional government that only rules while the Regents’ Council decides which Celthestan crown to pledge fealty to. Seeing as the Regents have been in session for two hundred years, it’s safe to say that their “debate,” will go on indefinitely. Dahanaem Main article: Dahanaem Summary: Highly hierarchical, pyramid structure, with very limited mobility. Based around deference, image, and privilege. Classes: Intair (chief ministers and family), Elite Nobility (Noble Lords and Coin Lords), Sunobility, Citizen Class, Minor Class (immigrants and minorities). Peerage: Ruling Class { Intair, the First Prince of Dahanaem; Banadaar, the Premier; Vendaet, the Defensor of the Church of Cana } Elite Class { Oilant, Grand High Prince; Jzaer, Grand Prince; Leyiwn, Prince; Torpael, High Lord } Sunoble Class { Anai, Lord, including: Lord Steward, Lord Chancellor, Lord Chamberlain, Lord Marshal, Lord Constable } A tiny circle of super-rich nobles and capitalists rule Dahanaem, with only some intermarriage between the two groups and plenty of animosity. In total, about ten noble families and a handful of merchants and bankers own ninety percent of Dahanaem’s wealth. These elites theoretically have unilateral control over the laws and commerce of the realm, but the reality is a bit more complicated. The true power driving the nation is the Intair (known in Avonish as the Grand Duchess), a position held by the Inderanda clan since the founding of Celtheste. Though the Duchess does not legally own the lands belonging to her peers, tradition dictates that they defer to her decision on nearly all matters of state, and they do. And though she also has no direct authority over the realm’s stupendously rich trade companies, she does have the exclusive right to grant them passage through her rivers. The “coin lords” are careful to keep her coffers full in exchange for noble titles, high office, and mostly free rein over commerce. The powers reserved to the landed noble families are less extravagant, but certainly not insignificant. They have prerogative over their home See and, more importantly, are responsible for appointing all the sunoble positions in their territories. These non-hereditary titles—Lords Stewards, Lords Marshals and so on—are granted for life, and title bearers are tasked with the day-to-day administration of cities and counties. Though theoretically anyone can be appointed to these roles, in practice the titles are circulated around a select class of wealthy (but not super-wealthy) and influential (but not too influential) families, a status to which the whole middle class aspires. New appointments to the sunoble class are rare—once a generation at most. And though there is no explicit process for removal from this un-official strata, all sunoble families fear a slow, subtle, vicious ostracization if they are to fall out of favor for too long. Of course, being reduced to simply middle class in Dahanaem is not so bad. Dahanaem’s first class citizens are among the most comfortable in the world, thanks to the lucrative Eastern Corridor trade and robust public works and services. And while Dahaenders hold much stock in appearances and social climbing, they are generally quite pleased with their country and their lot in life. It is the second class citizens that bear the brunt of labor and economic hardship for Dahanaem. As the Indrisaender majority continues to rise into the full Citizen class, the Sayrhoul and Sankori minorities, as well as the ever larger immigrant populations are relegated to the Minor Class, the very base of a society which increasingly rests on their backs. Empire of Maslan Main article: Empire of Maslan Summary: Promise of meritocracy, with possibility for high mobility. Based around merit, diversity, and exclusivity. Classes: Elite Class (Mage Families and Great Merchants), Lesser Mages, Middle Class, Working Class, Urban and Rural poor. Peerage: No nobility, except an elected Heres (Heir) as head of state. Founded on egalitarian principles, the promise of Maslan has always been that anyone who pursues knowledge can rise above their station to greatness. And the way to greatness, or to anything in Masslea, is through the University. Wherever you are in the diverse lands of the Empire, a degree from the Mage University is your key to success. Mage Doctors hold considerable sway even in the rabidly anti-Masslean desert territories. What it takes to join the ranks, however, has become rather impossible for the average Masslean citizen. The Mage University, renown throughout the world, admits two foreigners for every Masslean, and most of these Massleans are admitted as legacies, or because of their large donations. This class of mage families and great merchants has consolidated the Empire’s wealth and power in their own hands, and segregated themselves from the rest of population. The lucky few Massleans who gain admittance through merit are often excluded from circles of power by social and cultural means. Despite the disparity between the upper classes and the rest of the Massleans, the Empire is not by any means destitute. A large contingent of urban and rural poor is balanced by one of the world’s largest middle classes, thanks to a bustling trade corridor and strong financial sector. Egalitarian principles are held up among the autonomous Sayrhoul, who often earn collectively and share wealth equally, as well as in Dar Nal Emal and the many other urban centers, where a well-organized working class retains a strong and vibrant identity.